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Incoherent ramblings of an almost adult

Tag: EXO

1. Bangtan‘s cover of ‘Born Sinner’ is freaking perfection. I don’t follow the boys much and don’t really keep up with their stages and interviews and things like that, but I’m well aware of how talented they are. Happy 1st month to them!

2. I really should catch up on all the EXO stuff because I’ve been seeing GIFs of their Weekly Idol, Happy Camp and Beatles Code stints all over Tumblr and they look hilarious. Apparently they’ll be promoting a follow-up song soon, which would explain the hair changes and oh please, let it be something cute like ‘Peter Pan’ or ‘3.6.5’ or one of their ballads, because I desperately want to see something different from them onstage.

And on a somewhat related note, can we all just take a moment to welcome Krisus back? It’s amazing what a lighter shade of hair colour can do for this guy. Like wow Kris, this is not a freaking runway, can you maybe not???

(Picture credits to respective fansites)

3. My boys are coming back!!! It’s been only two weeks since VIXX‘s goodbye stages for ‘hyde’ and already, they’re set for a comeback this month. I do think it’s much too early and they definitely need to rest but I’m crossing my fingers for a cute song next because ‘Rock Ur Body’ 5ever!!!!1 It’ll also be much easier to promote and less intense compared with something like ‘hyde’ where they had to almost play a character each time they were onstage which I’m sure is exhausting.

Hyuk‘s gone blonde and evidently a drastic colour change is the number 1 tell-tale sign of a comeback. And Ross Lara, whom they’re working with for the comeback track has also revealed on Twitter, hinting at the boys’ return so yay!!!

I haven’t been very inspired to do writing in any way, shape or form, but now that hell week is over, I’ve finally got the time to sit down and just breathe. While I’ve been too busy to write, sad to say, I evidently haven’t been too busy to buy things…..and this will explain why I’m perpetually broke. I haven’t used my DSLR since I went for NU’EST two weeks ago (oh GOD I still have to finish the article now that I no longer have camp stuff weighing heavily on my mind) so I took it out for a spin and snapped some pictures of the things I’ve bought over the course of a few weeks. All this just confirms the fact that someone needs to freeze my ATM card in a block of ice ASAP – Shopaholic-style…except that won’t help because of the wonders of Paypal and iBanking (╥_╥)

Unsurprisingly, every single purchase is used to feed my fandom needs, so I believe no further explanation is necessary. The thing with VIXX merchandise is that they’re such a rare commodity that just by owning all the albums, and now both the slogan and the Dream Concert lightstick, I pretty much have 90% of their existing official goods. I have no idea what I’m going to do with them, especially the slogan, but trust me when I say it’s reeeeeallly pretty and glittery. The combination of blue and gold is just to-die-for.

I also got a phone case from Etsy and I love it so much!!! The price is a little exorbitant but the quality is great and it’s just so pretty. Plus I’m still waiting for my issue of CeCi to arrive and I really should stop getting these magazines because they always end up just collecting dust somewhere but they’re so hard to resist :(

My ‘XOXO’ albums also came awhile ago and it’s a really gorgeous set of albums. The quality itself is pretty crap if I’m being honest – kinda similar to ‘MAMA’, since they’re both flimsy and will probably stain/tear easily but I really like the art direction with the whole high school/yearbook thing. It lends a personal touch to them and they just look really really cute! I love that the photocards look like ID cards too but the posters are kinda huge and besides the candid one, they’re not really worth paying extra for. I do strongly recommend getting both albums though!

Another album I bought recently was Bangtan‘s ‘2 COOL 4 SKOOL’ and it’s such a solid album both musically and physically. I love the lyrics to ‘We are Bulletproof Pt. 2’ so much and I’m really gunning for them to win the rookie award this year. They’re all so young and just oozing with talent. I was hoping my copy would come with a polaroid but considering my luck with these things, I can’t say I was really surprised that it didn’t. I’m still super happy with the album and it did come with a cute postcard! AND JUST LOOK AT SUGA‘S FACE ASDFLKJAKLJ

Finally, my biggest ticket item would be B.A.P LOE tickets which I queued up over 12 hours for and still can’t decide whether it was worth queuing for considering the seat I ended up getting. I met a couple of people in line – one of whom was a hardcore Starlight!!!!!（ ´∀｀）☆ – and they’re all really nice people so it did made the long wait a little less excruciating.

I still have a major bone to pick with Fast Track Events because would it be so hard to set a limit on the number of tickets each person can buy???? It’s annoying as hell because you have people at the front of the line buying close to 50 tickets at one time and it just sucks for the rest of us who queue overnight and still walk away with kinda shitty seats. I mean, I still managed an okay seat considering that, but if every person could buy a max of 2 or 3 tickets, then the seats we’d get would probably be dead center and really close to the stage so it’s frustrating. I mean, I was number 199 in line and yet, I’m 16 rows from the stage and all the way at the side…….ヽ( ｀0´)ﾉ I barely made it into Cat 1 and had to buy a single seat since that was all that was left when I should have been able to easily get a good seat and still be sitting with my friends. UGH not cool at all.

Furthermore, the first 200 in line got little slips of paper with our number on them so that we could claim our posters YET STILL WE DIDN’T GET THEM. Like seriously?! I don’t know if SISTIC or whoever gave out the posters either gave them to whoever wanted them or if they gave them out per ticket, I just know that by the 120+ person, the posters had run out. I mean, it’s not that I even really want the poster, it’s just the principle of it. Like why even give out numbers in the first place if you’re just gonna give out the posters however way you want to? Just…whatever. It’s over and I’ve got my ticket and I’m sure the concert experience will be worth it because I’ve been waiting forever to see these guys and hear all the LOE stages live and not just from fancams so I shall… look on the bright sideヽ（´ー｀）┌

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of my heart squeezing painfully as I watch Lay choke on his tears. It’s always a thousand times more heartwrenching when boys cry, isn’t it? But I’m glad they’re tears of joy this time, and I’m so happy for EXO‘s four music show wins. They’ve worked hard for them and anyone who says otherwise can GTFO. I just love Tao‘s excited scream into the camera about how great he’s feeling. And don’t think I didn’t notice Kai squatting at the back after the win and Chen and Lay comforting him. Lay is just SUCH A SWEETHEART – how he was bowing and thanking everyone all the way to the dressing room. Ah, I just love EXO. May greater things come their way (and may the drama version of ‘Wolf’ come our way)!

I’m still working on my VIXX pimp post which has been in my drafts forever because it’s taking me a little longer than I expected. Everytime I write a little, I have to go back and watch an episode of Diary or VIXX TV and then I get distracted and end up forgetting about the post and just watching the episodes. /DAMN U VIXX/ Other than that, I’ll just sum up what’s been happening in what will probably end up being a really long entry because you know how I get when I write.

(1) Today was surprisingly one of the most tiring dance classes at CJ. It was my first time going for Girl’s Style and it was so much fun even though as usual, what I imagine I look like when I dance is completely different from how I look like in reality (which is a dying fish, basically). But I’m really looking forward to the next class! For those who are interested in um getting off your butt and attempting to get fit, the school’s just introduced their INFINITY package which is such an awesome deal because you can basically pay a certain amount of money (more details here) and then within a fixed time frame of 30 or 60 days, you can then choose to come for any of the open classes throughout the week for as many times as you want.

(2) I’m 2394813 years late but I finally got my ‘hyde’ album!!!! I paid a few dollars more and had to wait longer in order to ensure I got the Ken insert I wanted (you see the things you gotta do when you have a bias but seriously those collarbones are unreal and totally worth the extra money alone) but I think the album’s absolutely gorgeous even though mine came a little bent from the travel here T__T The pictures were really dark so I tried to pretty them in Photoshop……and it may not seem like it but trust me, they were worse off pre-Photoshop ok.

(3) I feel like we’re so lucky this drama season because there are so many good things to watch, more specifically Monstar, Dating Agency Cyrano and I’m hoping to add I Hear Your Voice to that because I’ve been hearing good reviews but even though I’m on my break and don’t seem to be doing anything at all, I still can’t find the time to actually start watching it. Where does all my time go????? And I haven’t caught it but Cruel City seems to be amazing as well if you’re looking for a dark thriller-type drama that’s well-executed and well-acted. Which reminds me, I reeeeeally need to catch up on Itazura na Kiss.

(4) Bangtan Boys… OF COURSE I have to talk about them. I knew about them a couple of months back because some of the boys have been doing vlogs leading up to their debut and I heard something about how a couple of them had been scouted from underground rap battles so they’re talented as hell and amazing at what they do. But I really didn’t expect to like them as much as I do. The boys are alllll so incredibly young (the oldest member is 26 days older than me), but they already have such an amazing stage presence and I was honestly really blown away by their debut stage on M Countdown yesterday as well as the clips that was shown of their debut MelOn showcase. They’re that perfect combination of confidence, charisma and talent – and can I just remind everyone of the fact that Jungkook is freaking 16 years old but already blowing up the stage like a pro? They also have what is now my favourite greeting from any idol group ever – it’s just so cute and perfect.

While I’m not averse to rap or hip-hop, I won’t say I have much of an appreciation for mixed tapes and the like, so with more than half of the group made up of rappers, I was quite surprised to really enjoy ‘2 COOL 4 SKOOL’, which turned out to be such a treat. I love everything on there even though the interlude and skit (which would be cute if I understood what they were saying) seemed to be fillers more than anything. Now, my only experience with hip hop albums is the ton of Eminem albums I have collected from my phase back when I was 12 (DON’T JUDGE OK) but having skits and intros and outros seems to be a thing? Here’s my favourite track because it has such a Block B vibe (I know I shouldn’t be comparing but……), I just can’t help but feel a little nostalgic. Such a swoon-worthy song.

(5) Can VIXX please stop appearing on every single Ceci issue because my pockets are not deep enough??? I think they were in the June issue but I can’t be completely sure because I have no idea why there are no previews for it but they’re def in the July issue and they’ll be in 8 glorious pages and just… WANT. Just look at ’em prettying it up. As much as I love how dramatic and dark ‘hyde’ is, it’s when they’re like this that I love them best. I usually reduce the quality for my pictures to save on space, but these are so colourful and gorgeous, I couldn’t bear to.

(6) And on to real life (because I do have one too, as much as it doesn’t seem like it)… Senior’s camp last week was freaking exchausting to the core. So for those who don’t know, senior’s camp is basically a condensed three-day version of actual FOC where we test our games and programme on people from our own batch and then get feedback so we can improve when it comes to the actual thing for the freshies. I was a programmer for Day 1 and even though I only had one hour allocated to me for the first day, I still somehow ended up being involved in all three days mostly as a Station Master and it was just. so. tiring. I don’t know how I’m going to do it for the actual thing where it’s five full days and I have one whole day of programmes to plan meticulously T__T

I’ve always said that one of my biggest regrets in uni so far is getting involved with FOC because it’s just too much commitment and too much responsibility than I’m used to, but I do have to say that even if I could have done without going for camp, it wasn’t… all bad. I did enjoy actually getting to know people for once and it did make me care about others a little more and just become generally more self-aware as a person. I don’t know how to be more specific about this but yeah, it was… overall, not an entirely unpleasant experience. And I guess since I’ve already committed and it’s the final stretch, I might as well give it my all. Aw, look at me being all mature and positive about this, almost brings tears to the eyes :’)

Rooftop view on Day 0 of camp – SO GORGEOUSWith Fay – taken right after my 1-hour nap while waiting for the group to arrive at our station in town

The main comm + GLs had a photoshoot some time back in May for the FOC booklets and I was just in awe at how much effort was being put into the whole thing and everyone ended up looking really great and in character. I think we spent the whole day waiting around and getting our hair and make up done and it was a surprisingly professional experience, even though the entire team was made up of our own batch. Of course, I took pictures because never will my nose ever look as pronounced as it did that day. I ended the day with a round of laser tag and even though our team lost, I’m proud to announce that I had the highest score on our team – oh yeah (even if I was like 200 points away from the actual winner, but who’s counting)…

Junfeng – our dear FOC Chair – insisted I take another picture because I may or may not have intentionally cropped most of him out in the previous shotWith Diane… and Ayeshah photobombing

With Andrea :-)

And if you’re looking to come to WKW, just a quick reminder to sign up for camp here: http://bit.ly/ZDqj20 and do visit http://wkwscifoc13.tumblr.com as well to keep yourself updated! I do think camp will be awesome because a lot of amazingly talented people have been involved in this and I’m quite certain we’ll be able to pull this off without a hitch. Please come for FOC!!!

(7) And finally, a huge huge congratulations to EXO for their first win! Yay #EXO1STWIN! Anyone who’s been reading my blog, will know I’m a huge fan of the boys and even though I will concede that it is a liiiiittle early still for a win since it’s only their first comeback, I won’t take anything away from them because they have worked hard and do deserve it. I won’t go into how Suho had the most hilarious crying outburst on stage because that’s old news by now and frankly, I’m more interested in what looks like a blossoming friendship between two of my bias groups.

We all know EXO and VIXX took a group picture last week, and then Leo was seen talking and giggling with Lay at the back during the Inkigayo encore stage. And then today, after EXO won MuBank, so many things happened 1. Hongbin and Chanyeol clutching hands and jumping together 2. Leo and Lay practically seeking each other out 3. Hyuk fanboying 4. Ravi hugging Tao and then rushing forward to hug Kyungsoo 5. Kyungsoo running over to where VIXX was leaving and hugging Hongbin AND /WAILS/ I JUST- YOU DON’T UNDERSTAAAAND /IT’S VIXXEXO/ You can watch the whole thing in 1080p or just skip to the end ~where the magic happens~

Okay, now that Dinoseoul’s ‘XOXO’ review is up (read it here) and I’ve already attempted to string my thoughts together into something semi-objective and coherent, I am now free to fangirl about how deeply infatuated I am with EXO-M. I’m not gonna even lie – right from the start, I’ve always preferred M over K… perhaps it was because Kris somehow caught my eye first in the ‘MAMA’ MV and I went through a somewhat embarrassing period of time where all I could talk about was Kris and his gorgeous bitchface (sigh…I know I know). But loooook… /deep sigh/ I’ll patiently wait for him to return to this beautiful hair colour and take back his title of ‘Krisus’.

It also seemed like EXO-K barely had any interviews then while M was scheduled for something practically everyday and those live China interviews were sooooo awkward and my heart totally went out to the six of them because they didn’t have the luxury of being edited skillfully like their K counterparts did. Besides the fact that I didn’t have to wait for subs since my grasp of Chinese was at least adequate enough to get me by without resorting to English subs, I just naturally gravitated towards the six of them as I watched them grow and become more confident with each interview.

Don’t get me wrong, I do like EXO-K, but I just feel like the M boys feel a little closer to home somehow and they’re really just the underdogs and that may also be why I was so against EXO promoting as one. I definitely looked forward to OT12 stages back during the ‘MAMA’ promotion cycle because those were few and far between so it was something exciting and different, but having all the ‘Wolf’ stages being performed by all twelve… I just don’t know if SM will allow M to shine as brightly as K in Korea since the members may not be as popular there. I mean, just look at how even in the OT12 Chinese version, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun dominated (I will forever be butthurt about this let’s be real here). But still, I do concede that it’s definitely a good thing that M gets to join K on the weekly music shows because M barely had any performances for a loooong time after their debut while K was practically performing 4 to 5 times a week so this will give them the chance to up their popularity and exposure.

With all that said, ‘XOXO’ is still such a good album and yes, both ‘Kiss’ and ‘Hug’ versions. I still have trouble telling Kyungsoo’s and Baekhyun’s voices apart because they’re really pretty similar in pitch (or is it just me???) and while Suho is totally leaping up my EXO bias list with his constant smile and sweet voice, I love how all the voices in M are so… unique and different from one other. Because of that, it’s quite easy to tell their different voices apart.

Okay, I suck at describing voices but first of all, Chen has that really high sometimes almost nasally tone (though ahem Rachel would beg to differ) and he does pretty much all the belting and most of the adlibs. I know his Korean accent comes through quite often while he’s singing but I’m still really impressed at his pronunciation overall especially with the massive amount of lines he has to familiarise himself with and belt convincingly.

Kris has that signature growly/slurry thing going on where he sounds drunk/high or just plain lazy most of the time. I’ve never hidden my disdain for his rapping, and I guess if I weren’t clear before, I’ll say again that I really don’t like it and I think he’s simply not suited for it. He doesn’t have flow and he’s way too slow but I guess that’s not an excuse because you can have a deep voice and not rap fast and still be amazing at what you do (just look at Bang Yongguk). His constant growliness just makes everything more hilarious (like in ‘Let Out the Beast’) and I don’t know why SM didn’t just make him a vocalist because he does have a really surprisingly pleasant singing voice (that’s actually much better than his K counterpart, Chanyeol‘s) and sings quite a bit throughout the album. I also like his voice when he’s doing anything other than attempting to rap, like in ‘My Lady’ (at 1:54) when he’s sort of sing talking and it actually kinda suits the raspy quality that his voice posesses.

Xiumin‘s voice I’m not a huge fan of, if I’m being honest, because it’s just not very melodious but it could just be because he’s not had the opportunity to properly showcase his voice especially with the minimal amount of lines he gets throughout the album. I mean, he couldn’t have won that 2008 Everysing contest if he had zilch talent right? Then sweet, sweet Lay with his cute high-pitched voice and his thick accent that just makes me smile, and Luhan, whose voice might just be my favourite ever in EXObecause it’s just gorgeous to listen to and I love the way he stretches to reach some of those notes and he’s also always so heartfelt in his delivery.

And finally Tao, whose voice is like this gem I never knew existed because who knew he could sing like that??? He has one of my favourite type of singing voices; it’s like one of those typical teenybopper boyband voices, if that even makes sense – like, I swear to god he sings the same way Joe Jonas does where they get a little breathy and high pitched at the end of each line, and the way he slangs, like I can’t even explain (though I guess anyone who didn’t get into Jonas Brothers at one point in their lives wouldn’t get this reference). I mean, just listen to his lines in ‘3.6.5’ (at 0:14), ‘Peter Pan’, ‘Don’t Go’ and basically all the songs where he has singing lines instead of rap parts, you should be able to somewhat get what I mean… kinda? I really enjoy his rapping as well and even though his high pitch contrasts with Kris’ much lower one, there are also some tracks where he lowers his tone a little like in ‘Baby Don’t Cry’ (right after the second last chorus). And possibly one of my favourite things about Tao aside from his versatility, is how underneath his impossibly good-looking badass wushu exterior, he’s really a 13-year-old overly-emotional princess who likes to look pretty, take mirror selcas, shop at Gucci and cry over horror stories.

I’m sure it’ll change but my current favourites in the ‘Hug’ version are ‘Don’t Go’, ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘3.6.5’ but to be honest, every song in ‘XOXO’ is so listenable and there’s not a single track I’d skip even if I do love certain songs a little more than others. This whole album was just such a nice surprise because I didn’t expect it to be as quality as it turned out to be. Definitely worth a listen… or ten. And for anyone who’s confused about who sings what during which part, this link would be super helpful to get you acquainted with all the different voices.